The Rise of the Garde
by MarinaRules7
Summary: (A continuation of "The Rise of Nine") The Garde, with the exception of Five, have finally come together. How would their relationships, especially romantic relationships, evolve? What legacies will Ella develop? What will be their next move against the Mogadorian Empire?
1. The beginning

This is a continuation from the "Rise of Nine", before the "Fall of Five". Just a reminder of what happened at the end of the book - John and Nine met up with Six, Eight, Marina and Ella at Dulce Base. Together, they fought Setrákus Ra, barely escaping with their lives...

* * *

 **Six POV:**

After ripping through the countless Mogs and FBIs with ease, we reached Nine's batty looking car.

"What the hell is this piece of junk?" I say.

"Er. A car." answers Nine. "By the way, you look pretty cool in your that thing."

I roll my eyes. "Let's just get in."

Turns out, it was too small a space. We even rescued Sam. Not all of us can hitch a car ride. I drive, Marina beside me, with Eight, Sam and Sarah behind us. Nine and John end up running beside the car.

Actually, when I got in, I was AMAZED. It was so high-tech. I can hear my accomplices gasping in wonder. I'm totally shocked.

I lean out the window. "Dude! This is some major stuff you have here."

I think he blushes a bit. "Yeah, honey. It's the latest model. The hottest babe in the world this is." he says, petting the car.

"Hell, yeah." I laugh.

The smug grin is suddenly wiped from his face. "Sirens." he says. "We'd better get going."

They begin running, and I rev the car up. I don't drive too fast, but at their running pace, which is at 80 km per hour.

I can see they are running their fastest as we cruise along. After driving for 20 minutes, we are far away from the place already. We stop at some dense woods.

* * *

 **John POV:**

I fling myself onto a grassy patch.

"Boy, THAT was SOME work out." says Nine, flexing his muscles in front of Six.

I just help Sarah and Sam down. "Are you guys OK?" I ask, hugging Sarah.

"Apart from all these cuts and bruises, YEAH." says Sam. He limps out.

"Did you find your dad?" I ask.

Judging by his face, I know the answer. "H-he's dead." Sam finally says. "I saw his body."

I don't know what to say. Instead, I reach over and hug him. The others watch in silence.

"OK." says Nine. "Enough of the love-love, kiss- kiss bit. Let's get to know each other."

With a great effort I release my arms from Sarah. "I love you." I whisper, as she turns away, her eyes filling with tears.

Eight begins rummaging in his chest. "GOT IT." he cheers. "What?" I ask. He pulls out 10 marble-like balls which are attached to small chain necklaces.

"What the heck!" cries Six. "NO WAY."

I'm still confused. "What?" I ask.

Marina looks confused too. "You gotta be joking, man!" says Nine.

Ella gasps, her eyes wide, like orbs.

"Watch this," Nine says, grabbing the pendant with a purple marble and pulling it around his neck.

Suddenly, he begins to shrink, getting skinnier along the way. His long black hair turns blonde and short while his eyes turn green. He looks like a thin, small, scruffy teenage boy.

"Whoa!" I cry. "What did you DO?"

"Duh, John. We're WANTED. People'll recognize us if we are in our true form." His voice isn't so loud and booming anymore, instead, there is a tiny pathetic squeak to it, and it's less deep.

We all laugh. "You look like a nerd!" laughs Six. "No offense, though." she says, quickly looking at Sam. Sam just shrugs.

* * *

 **Marina POV:**

I am eager to try out one of the necklaces. So I reach out a hand and grab a pale blue one, putting it around my neck.

At once, I feel as though I'm shrinking a little. My arms grow shorter, but my hair grows longer till it reaches my waist. My brilliant blue eyes turn a soft brown color and my brown hair turns blonde.

I can see Eight staring and I blush a little. "You look less pretty." he says dismally.

I shrug. "How do I look?"

"Okay."replies Six. "You look like a normal teenage girl. Very ordinary."

I nod, smiling. "Don't want to draw attention, do I?"

"Remember," says Eight, "this only lasts for an hour. After that, we have to put it back into this box and charge it for about half an hour."

"Plus, we need to get a new car." adds John.

I'm feeling thrilled. So many of us are coming together like that. I'm totally awed.

"My turn in the car." says Nine.

"One of us just GET ANOTHER CAR already." says John.

Eight gets up, saying, "I'll go get it somewhere."

"NO," Six firmly puts in.

"It's a PERFECT idea." I say, wondering why Six objects. "We ALL have to go. We can't loose each other again."I nod meaningfully. "Six's right.

We ALL have to go."John sighs. "I'm tired of running here and there." "I'll be the one outside."volunteers Six.

"Dude!" cries Nine, shocked. "She's a GIRL. Are you willing to let her suffer so you can RELAX? Seriously. Have some stamina. I'm only MODERATELY tired."

* * *

Hope you enjoyed the read, and please review! :)


	2. Travel

Six POV:

I didn't even know Nine HAD heart.

"It's OK, but thanks, anyway. I can do it."

Maybe I AM starting to like this guy already. He's so cool and tough... Sort of like me. I shake the thought from my head.

Nine asks, "Are you SURE?"

"Positive." I say. I really hope I'm not blushing.

We go at a slower pace now, probably 40 km per hour. And I sprint continuously with Nine as the car rolls along with us, John at the wheel. We run for about an hour until we reach the busy streets of Chicago.

I'm pretty tired, and I can see Nine dragging his legs a little. We finally stop at a car shop, which is next to a petrol chaise.

Nine pulls out a really thick wad of crisp hundred dollar bills from his backpack and gives it to me. "For you to buy a car."

I'm a little astonished, but I get over it. I take it, saying a polite "Thank you."

"No problem-o, darling." he says.

Fury hits me like lightning. I grab him and squeeze his muscled shoulders hard.

Through gritted teeth, I say, "No one. NO ONE. Calls me 'darling'. And as for those pet names you give me. DROP IT."

I give him a really hard shake and he looks a little stunned. "Um. Sorry."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see the others snickering. "SHUT UP." I say.

And they fall silent. I let Nine go, and he stumbles a little.

* * *

John POV:

I can't help but tease him a little. "Hey, tough guy. What happened to you?" I say, punching his muscles.

He mutters something like "shut up" to me, and sighs. "THAT was AWESOME. Did you see her, the way she LOOKED at me?"

I roll my eyes. "As in furiously? And like she's about to kill you?"

He sighs contentedly. "Don't you GET it? If a hot chick starts screaming at you if you give her a pet name, it means she LIKES you."

I nearly choke. "SIX? Likes YOU? You GOTTA be kidding me. Her emotions are like STEEL, man, STEEL."

Ella slides up, once Six is in the store picking a car. "She has a minor crush on you, though, Nine." she says.

"What? HOW do you KNOW?" he asks, grabbing her and shaking her a little.

"I dunno. I think I can read minds or something."

"Huh? You mean a new legacy?" I ask.

"Duh." says Marina, coming up.

Eight had gone to fill our SUV with petrol.

Nine has a dreamy look in his eyes and he whistles softly. "She. Is. The. TOTAL. Chick. For. Me. I mean, what could be better? A hot, sexy, chick, not to mention pretty. And also including how awesome a fighter she is, AND she's Loric. Which is like, TOTALLY perfect."

My mind at once wanders to Sarah, who is leaning on Sam shoulder, asleep. Sam is asleep as well. BK yaps excitedly. Nine is still gazing wistfully into the shop Six had just disappeared into.

She finally comes out and hugs him. "I'm sorry I was such a bad-ass. REALLY. And if you weren't one of us, I would've kicked the crap out of you."

Nine was a little taken a back by the sudden hug, and I suddenly feel a small tinge of jealousy.

He recovers quickly. "Huh. No problem-o. I can beat you easily in battle. I'm, like, AWESOME."

* * *

Six POV:

THAT is what I hate about him. He is SO arrogant sometimes. "You're too big for your boots, dude." I say, punching him.

I'm actually a little embarrassed that I flared up so easily since he gave me so much money for a car.

"And thanks for the car." I added.

"No problem hon-" he begins.

I give him my furious eye, and he quickly says. "Yeah. It's OK."

I had bought a black SUV. "When we get back to my home, I am SO going to polish this baby up." says Nine, rubbing his hands gleefully.

Eight comes back with the car filled with petrol.

"Let's go." I say, taking Ella's hand.

I jump into the new car with Marina, Ella and Sam as Nine, John, Eight and Sarah go in the other. I tail Nine's car along the winding road.

* * *

John POV:

We go back to Nine's luxurious home and I'm not surprised to see the others gaping in admiration.

He takes Six's hand gently. "I'll show you around, my pretty."

Six gives him a look that could kill and I nearly burst out laughing. Nine just doesn't have a way with sexy girls.

I take Sarah's hand. "You'll be safe here. REALLY. She has worn one of the necklaces and it REALLY works. She looks a lot less beautiful, and I really want her to take it off.

Eight comes up. "Okay, you guys, I think it's time to take off our necklaces, because it's going to die soon."

I took mine of instantly and I feel great shooting up again. Sarah is her normal self again, and I'm more than happy.

"Boy, I'm STARVING." says Nine, flopping onto a sofa and switching on the television.

The girls want to take a bath after all that fighting and I persuade Nine to do the same.

"There are no cameras or anything in here, right?" asks Six cautiously.

"None at ALL." he says, and takes out something from his chest. It flies around the 2 floors and after a while it whizzes back, flashing green.

"No cameras at all." says Nine again.

"I'm dying to catch up with each other!" groans Eight, "Can we do it now?"

Ella pipes up. "AFTER dinner, and AFTER bath."

I nod as well. "Yeah. I seriously need to take a bath."

There are 6 different bathrooms and I hop into one for a shower.


	3. The Penthouse

**Six POV:**

I feel refreshed and AWESOME after a bath. All I want now is something good to eat.

"Who cooks here?" I ask.

"Me." says Marina and Sarah.

I nod. "Could you two whip up some dinner for us please?" I ask.

"Sure." they say.

Nine says, grinning, "So, Seven, all those years in the orphanage payed off, right?"

Marina didn't really like it. I could see she looked a little pissed. I've also heard that Santa Teresa was a religious school, so she probably would be saying prayers or something.

* * *

 **Marina POV:**

I'm washing vegetables with Sarah in the kitchen. "Sarah... I'm nervous." She turns to face me.

"You can't be nervous. You have legacies! You are one of the Garde."

I sigh. I know I am.

"Look at Six. Look at Nine. Even look at John and Eight. They're not a tiny bit nervous. Even Ella, who has NO telekinesis, is more confident in battle than me."

Sarah lays a hand on my shoulder. "Marina, when I look at you, you look just as confident as the rest. You HAVE confidence in you. Remember what Six said?"

"What?" I ask, lifting my head.

"Remember, she said Lorien picked you guys because she recognized your strong wills and compassion. Your DETERMINATION."

"I've got none of that. I don't know WHY Lorien chose me. I just CAN'T be an elder."

Sarah sighs. "Marina, you are MORE than you think you are."

I just shrug. It is time for dinner, and I help lay the table.

"Yum- my!"says Nine, rubbing his hands in glee.

As I sit down, I nearly want to say Grace, when I suddenly remember that I don't say it anymore. Old habits sure die hard.

* * *

 **Six POV:**

"Wow. You both sure know how to cook a meal!" I say.

I'm lounging on a sofa, watching TV, after a scrumptious meal. Marina blushes and Sarah says, "No prob."

"Let's fill each other in." I say.

"Sure." everyone else says, as I switch the television off.

* * *

 **John POV:**

I'm highly interested in what everyone else is saying. I feel terribly sorry for Sarah and Sam. After I tell them about how I worked the tablet, they jump to their feet.

"Lemme see!" squeals Six, grabbing it from me.

"So we're all here, in Chicago. Is there any other yellow dot?"

"No. Five probably isn't having his or her chest open."

"The last time we saw Five was in Jamaica." I add.

I can see Nine gasping and looking at Six in a weird way when she told us all about her battles, and her time in captivity.

"OK, let's get proper names. I mean, it'll be kind of obvious if we keep calling each other by our numbers."

"Plus, we always call each other our numbers in battle." pipes up Marina, who was silent durning most of the talk.

"Yea. John can be Donald." said Nine, sniggering.

I roll my eyes. "No WAY." "Then you be Stanley." I add, grinning.

"The security guard know you as that, anyway."

"NO WAY." he bellows.

"Too bad." says Ella. "That'll be both of your names."

Both of us whine, and I feel a little embarrassed. Finally, we agreed. Six is now Elizabeth (her previous name), Marina is Emily, Ella is Jenny, Eight is

Alex, Sarah is Laura and Sam is Jacob. We're supposed to be friends from some school.

"I'm SO going to train tomorrow." says Six, flexing her muscles.

"OK, we should work out a battle strategy for Setrakus Ra, and then we train, then we find Five, then we get Setrakus Ra and CRUSH him." says Eight.

"Right now, all I want is some sleep." I say, yawning.

"I'm SO going to CRUSH you guys in training." says Six, smashing her fist against her palm.

"Yeah, like hell YOU are." smirks Nine.

"Puh-lease. It'll be a piece of cake!" laughs Eight, punching Nine.

* * *

 **Marina POV:**

I'm a little nervous, and I'm SURE that I'm no match for any of them. I mean, I'm so nervous and emotional and everything...

I'm REALLY not looking forward to tomorrow. But it's really luxury living here. I really can't believe Nine spent nearly his entire life living in here while I have to endure the heavy rules of Santa Teresa.

There are six bedrooms, and I'm sharing a room with Ella. John is sharing one with Sam. The rest of us sleep by ourselves.

As I cuddle into bed, I can't help but feel a tinge of jealousy for Nine. The bed is SO soft and comfortable and I feel like I can fall asleep immediately.

I can feel Ella's warm body lying next to me, and I mutter a prayer. I'm just so used to doing this.

* * *

Sorry if you find it a bit slow right now, but I promise you that the next few chapters start to get exciting.

Don't forget to review! :)


	4. Six vs Nine

**Six POV:**

I fling off my sheets, as the sharp shrill of my alarm clock split dawn. I have been asleep for about 9 hours, and I feel really relaxed.

I rub my hands together. Training day. I'm SO going to kick the crap out of Nine today. I really can't stand his boasting.

I pull on a pair of extra short, tight, shorts and a very skimpy shirt which reveals the belly button and the armpits, AND is a little bareback.

I don't know why, but I just LOVE dressing like that.

Quickly, I tie my hair into a pony-tail, and slip on my sneakers. I feel fit, refreshed and ready to fight.

* * *

 **Marina POV:**

"Oooo! I'm SO looking forward to kicking your asses today, people!" That makes me even more nervous.

"Stop it, Nine." I say.

"Yeah, Nine, show off your baby talents to a toddler, ok?" puts in Eight.

Nine blushes a little. After a really delicious breakfast, we get ready for training.

No one has ever trained me before, so someone is going to have to spend some time training me specially.

* * *

 **Six POV:**

I practically hop into the 'Lecture room'. I'm SO excited. It's been ages since I've trained with someone.

"Ready to get your ass kicked, people?" asks Nine for the hundredth time.

"Shut your garbage can." I snarl.

"Are you REALLY that cocky, dude?" asks Eight.

John sniggers. "OK. Let's begin." he says.

He pulls out his chest. I grab some stuff from mine as well. I pull out my shinning dagger and gun.

"Me and Six'll go first." Nine says, "You guys can be my cheering fans."

I give him a fierce look and he blushes a little.

"You look really funky today, babe."

I snarl, "Shut your trap."

He just shrugs a tiny little bit.

"No ripping my head off, okay?" I say.

"Duh, K." he says, grinning weirdly at me. I do some warm-ups.

"Let's begin." he says, smiling widely.

I position myself in the middle of the room. John is the referee. He blows a whistle.

As quick as lighting, I turn invisible, and charge at him. At once, he runs up the wall and onto the ceiling, where he hangs upside down.

I pull out my gun and begin firing at him, darting around the room. He uses telekinesis to deflect my shots, and I use mine to wrench him from the ceiling. He flips over and lands on his feet, swinging his metal pipe.

I am sure he can feel me with telekinesis as he flings the pipe straight at me.

Instead, I twirl the pipe and grip onto it, turning it invisible too. I can hear Nine whining. "This is SO unfair."

I nearly snigger when he wrenches the pipe from my grip with his telekinesis. Snarling, I advance as he fires continuously at me. I deflect each and every one of his shots as I keep charging.

I can feel the force of his telekinesis groping around, trying to feel me out.

"Whoa! Time OUT." says John.

I make myself visible. "What?" I'm really pissed.

Nine is also pissed judging by the look on his face. "I'm having a PARTY here, OK?" he says, whining.

John explains calmly. "You guys aren't doing ANYTHING. I mean, HARDLY anything. Let's try combat physically not with Legacy. So Nine, you're not allowed to switch on anti gravity and Six, no turning invisible."

I sigh. "Seriously?"

Nine looks extremely crossed as well.

We reposition ourselves in the middle of the room and we begin. I feel him using telekinesis to flip me over. I grit my teeth and try to repel it but he is too strong.

I feel myself being flipped over but I use all my strength to stand my ground. I'm surprised. I've never felt such resistance against my telekinesis.

I feel the energy building up in my core and suddenly, I release it in one burst. "YARGH!" I yell. The wave of telekinesis erupts from me.

I can even see the air shimmer as it passed. It not only repelled Nine's telekinesis, but it even pushed him backward a few inches.

However, he still stands his ground, sending his own wave of telekinesis at me. I lean my whole body weight against it to deflect it.

We are now engaged in a wrestling competition. Both of us push as hard as we can to deflect each other's telekinesis.

I feel myself skid back a couple of inches, meters, and finally his strength is too great for me. I allow myself to go slack and I'm immediately thrown into the air and I fly like a missile towards the wall.

Luckily, I manage to use my telekinesis to cushion my impact.

I end up with my back hovering a few centimeters away from the wall and I lower myself. I can see Nine's face is slightly pink and I'm sure mine should be too.

* * *

 **Marina POV:**

I'm awed. How does Six and Nine even do it? I mean, the wave of telekinesis Six sent at Nine was so strong that I could feel it pass me like a blast of air.

Even though it was directed at Nine, I still had to use all my strength to stand my ground. And the TK wrestling match? How is it even possible? I am sure I am useless against it. I would probably shatter on impact.

Ella seems to sense what I'm feeling and she slips her small hand into mine.

"Don't worry Marina. You'll train and become as powerful as them."

I just sigh. "I hope so, Ella. I really do."

Ella smiles, "Marina, I think all you are lacking is confidence."

"Really?"I ask in disbelief.

"Yes."

I just muster a smile and watch the show. Six and Nine are now engaged in a fearsome battle. Dagger to pipe. The fight is epic. They move so fast that it is practically a blur to me. I'm now feeling very, VERY scared.

* * *

 **Six POV:**

He swings one end of his pipe at me but I manage to roll between his legs to avoid the glowing red hot tip of his pipe.

I righten myself behind him, just in time to see the other hot end of his pipe flying straight for my face.

I twist to the side and parry the blow as the other end of his pipe swipes at my legs.

Deftly I jump and hop onto the unheated end. "OI!", he says, shaking me off as I slash at his torso.

With me on his pipe, he had to use his TK to stop my weapon just millimeters from his chest. I regain control of it just as I loose by balance and fall off the pipe.

He twirls his pipe until all I can see is a red fan and he strikes suddenly. I duck just a millisecond too slow. The bottom half of my hair is singed off.

"ARGH!" I yell.

John yells, concerned, "Whoa, CUT! Six, are you okay?"

I'm s bit surprised but I regain my composure. "I'm fine."

Nine puts his arm around me. "I'm sorry, Six."

For a second, his humbleness takes me aback, but when I realize that his arm is around my shoulders, I slap it away angrily. "Quit it, Nine. I hate it."

Nine in turn looks taken aback. "You actually look pretty cool, the way I styled your hair."

Marina grins and Ella giggles. Eight teleports behind me to inspect my new hairdo.

"Pretty cool, huh?" I grin.

Nine grins back. "But let's continue. We're not done yet!" says Nine.

"Really? Okay, if you wish." says John in reply. We begin.

I swing my dagger at him, charging. He holds his pipe steadily in his hand. Zing! I swing my dagger down, full-force.

Both of us push like crazy, and I use all my strength, matching his. Both of us wrestle for a moment.

Using telekinesis, I jerk him backward, as he topples, I then kick him HARD in the chin and shove him backward, followed by a right uppercut.

As predicted, he falls backward, and I wrench the pipe from his grasp and swing my dagger to his throat, pausing millimeters from his neck.

"You're dead." I say.

"FINE." he says, getting up.

I can hear the others laughing. "Yeah, macho man. Show off more of your muscles!" laughs Eight, punching him.

"Aww Man! She was just LUCKY." protests Nine.

"Like hell I am!" I laugh, twirling the red hot metal pipe.

"That was a good game, man." I say, petting him on the back, and before I knew it, I had grabbed his shoulder I gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

* * *

 **Marina POV:**

Whoa whoa and WHOA. No way. Did I just see Six kiss Nine? All the others also look aghast. Six is blushing like CRAZY and Nine's face is like a tomato.

He just stares, opened mouthed and gaping. Suddenly, he throws his arms around her and gropes for her butt, ready to start a MAJOR snogging session.

* * *

 **Six POV:**

I feel his hand groping for my butt and his other hand around my shoulders as he opens his mouth and leans in for a proper snog. THAT, I cannot bear.

In a flash, I grab his arms and twist it, then I flip him over, resulting in him sprawled in an undignified heap on the ground.

I jump on him, and press my knee painfully into his stomach, making him groan in pain.

"Don't you DARE try that with me again," I snarl, slapping him in the face.

The slap echos through the room. I suddenly realized I over-reacted and I stand up sheepishly.

"Sorry." I say, helping him up.

He looks terribly embarrassed but his cockiness overcame him again. "Yeah, Six! That was AWESOME."

I just loom over him furiously. Marina puts a comforting arm around me. "Calm down, Six. It was nothing."

Suddenly Nine groans. "Ouch... My tummy REALLY hurts..."

* * *

 **John POV:**

WOW. Six really thrashed Nine. So much for his 'tough guy' act. I felt a twinge of jealousy when Six had kissed him. I practically feel green with envy.

Nine groans. "Hey man, are you OK, buddy?"

"She must have ruptured my tummy muscles or something," he says, before violently spewing the contents of his stomach onto the floor.

"EEEWWW! Gross! D:" moans Eight.

"YUCK!" I say, stepping out of the way.

His face is practically contorted with pain.

"Should I practice my healing skills on him?" I ask.

"Go ahead." says Marina, as I touch my hand against his tummy. I think, _heal_. And suddenly I feel an icy tingle in my spine, and blue sparks dance around his stomach.

"Hell yeah!" Says Nine, springing to his feet. "I feel totally awesome."

* * *

Again, please review!


	5. John vs Eight

**Six POV:**

I actually felt a tiny bit sorry for Nine at that time, but I try not to show it. "Who's gonna spar with me?" asks John.

Eight teleports right next to him. "Me, bro. Marina, would you be referee?"

I see Marina hesitate. "Yeah, Marina, you'll be a great referee!" I chime in.

Marina nods. "Sure."

"Hey guys, I suggest you use these." drawls Nine.

He tosses us a heap of paintball guns and blunt daggers with his mind.

"Thanks, man." says John as we pick one of each.

* * *

 **John POV:**

I stand in the middle of the lecture hall while Eight teleports directly opposite me.

Marina begins. "3 - 2 - 1 - GO!"

My palms light up and I ignite myself in flames just as Eight teleports behind me. I lift my dagger just in time to parry his blow.

He teleports to the far end of the room and begins transforming into a weird beast.

"CUT!" yells Marina. "Eight, you can't use your avatars."

"WUT?" says Eight. "Then Four shouldn't be allowed to use his fire."

"No, John can." insists Marina.

"FINE." says Eight. "The game is ON!" he whoops.

He teleports opposite me and feints to my head then he teleports behind me and jabs at my chest. My reflexes are quick so I just manage to duck his blade and slash my blade in an arc over me but he just parries it.

Okay, too much defense. Time for some offense.

Before he can strike again, I roll between his spread legs and sling a fireball towards him. He deflects it with his telekinesis, sending it flying into the wall instead.

Thank goodness the wall is fire-proof. I fling a couple more fireballs at him but he deflects it again.

Next, he uses his telekinesis to flip me upside down. I throw my whole weight into repelling his telekinesis, enough to topple him.

In a flash, my knee is on his abdomen and I strike. Just a millisecond before my dagger tip touches his chest, he disappears. My knee thuds to the ground.

Before I can register that he had teleported somewhere, I feel the tip of his blade against my back.

"You're dead, man." He is smiling at me.

"That was fun." says Eight, helping me up.

"Yeah." Six smiles.

"That was awesome, guys!"

"Not as epic as your fight with Nine!" laughs Ella.

Marina is the only one who seems pretty quiet.

Then I remember. "Marina, you wanna have a go?"

* * *

Hope you enjoyed it so far, please review! :)


	6. Navrina

**Marina POV:**

Me? ME? Fight? I feel a bit queasy.

Eight teleports to my side. "Marina, do you want to spar with me?"

I look into his soft brown eyes and suddenly I feel more confident. "Okay."

Ella whoops, "Go, Marina!"

Six grins at me and gives me the thumbs up. I'm happy that my friends are so encouraging so I decide to do it.

I smile, "Let's do this!"

Eight laughs and teleports to the middle of the room. I slip a paintball gun into my holster and hold the blade in my palm. It feels cool to the touch and I've never ever used a blade before. Except to cut veggie and raw meat for dinner nearly everyday of my life.

As I step facing Eight, I can't help but feel nervous. I can feel my knees shaking as I take my position.

John grins, "Ella, do you want to be referee?"

Ella's face glows pink with pleasure. "Yeah!"

I smile at her and she grins back at me.

"Go, Marina!"I can hear Six cheering for me.

"A-www, what about me?" asks Eight, "Don't I have any cheering fans?"

I just laugh.

Ella starts off. "3 - 2 - 1 - BEGIN!"

I do the only thing which comes to my mind. I slash at him. He just teleports somewhere else and my blade just slashes harmlessly through the cloud of blue vapor he left in his wake.

Instinctively, I turn around and see his dagger coming straight at me. I lift my blade but I don't hold it strong enough. Upon impact, it drops off my hand and skittles across the floor. Oops.

I dive wildly for it but Eight uses TK to hold me back.

Suddenly, I hear Ella's voice in my head. "Use your telekinesis to get your blade back, Marina."

I glimpse at her for a split second. Her mouth isn't moving but she is gazing intently at me. Her legacy is at work.

Quickly, I make the dagger zip back into my hand as Eight teleports beside me and swings his dagger. As I'm lying on the ground, I grip my dagger as hard as I can and lift it straight up.

ZING! A spark flew as his dagger hit mine. I nearly drop the dagger in shock. He tries to bowl me over with TK but I fight back.

However, I am too weak and I fall down backward. "OOOF!"

I feel the cool edge of Eight's dagger pressed against my neck and he suddenly grips my hand and I feel myself thin out. As in, it feels like I'm made of vapor.

I am holding Eight's hand and we're floating all around the room in vapor form. I peer into his soft brown eyes. "Am I being teleported?"

"Yes."

"Why does it take so long?"

"Because this is special. I can stay in the process of teleportation for a maximum of 5 minutes. During this time, I don't exist. WE don't exist."

"What do you mean?"

"To everyone's eyes, we are just gone."

"Oh."

Eight too, gazes deep into my eyes. "I've been planning to do this for ages. I've always been wondering who would be the first person to take this ride with me. It's you, Marina. I love you."

I'm suddenly feeling very romantic. And suddenly, our faces are just pressed into each other's and our lips touch in a blazing kiss.

(I would love to describe this scene more, i.e, the feel of his tongue, the sweetness of his breath, etc. But I shall leave it to your imaginations, they are way better at describing what I'm planning to describe…)

* * *

 **John's POV:**

Eight won, as expected. POOF! They both teleport somewhere. I wait for them to appear again somewhere else but they don't. I can see the confusion written on everyone else's faces as well as mine.

Nine asked, "Did you just see what I saw?"

We all look a little bewildered just as Sarah and Sam walk into the room after their long nap. Marina and I have fixed up their scrapes and they both look way better than I last saw them.

"Hi, guys! Hey... Where's Eight and Marina?"

I just shrug. "I have no idea. Must've teleported somewhere. But one thing's for sure, we know Eight can't teleport too far away from here."

Sarah shrugs too. "Oh well. I brought you guys some drinks." She brandishes a box full of milo cartons.

We slurp them up greedily. Within ten seconds, Nine's carton is empty and he gazes longingly at Eight and Marina's cartons. "Oh well, I guess they're having fun somewhere."

And before anyone could stop him, he jammed both straws into his mouth and gulped them down.

"Hey!" says Sam, "Those were the last two left. There are no more in the larder."

Nine just crushes the two empty cartons in his fist. "Oh well, sucks to be them. The two lovebirds won't miss a thing." He says, nudging Six and winking.

Six just swats his arm away. Just at that moment, Marina and Eight appear right between Six and Nine, startling both of them.

"Missed us?" asked Eight, his hand still around Marina's.

Marina's face is flushed and she seems a little jittery.

"Where the HELL were you guys?" asked Nine.

* * *

 **Marina POV:**

Whoops. While Eight and I were, um, 'hanging out', we forgot to think of an excuse for our disappearance.

I stutter, "Um, we were, em, doing ... stuff ... If you get what I mean, as in, stuff..."

I just slap my forehead. I am so bad at making excuses. I can hear Ella laugh in my head.

She says, "I think everyone knows what you and Eight were doing."

"What?", I ask back in my mind.

"I'll give you a hint." replies Ella's voice, and she makes smooching sounds in my head.

But, accidentally, she lets one smooch out the wrong way. As in, it came out of her mouth.

Everyone looks at her.

Six laughs, ruffling Ella's hair, "You're really cheeky, aren't you?"

Eight laughs back, "It's true, we were spending a bit of, well, private time together. Just the two of us, if you get my drift."

Nine looks at Six dreamily, "If only I had the teleporting legacy..."

* * *

So please do review, I will continue this story soon, if enough people want it. Hope you enjoyed it! 3


	7. Dating :)

Six POV:

I'm standing in the shower, enjoying the jet of lukewarm water that's dousing me. Training was great, and I'm pleased with how far everyone's progressed.

After our sparring, we practiced blade fighting, shooting and working as a team. I still get the chills thinking about how close we were to utter defeat during our fight with Setrákus Ra.

I run my hand down the length of my hair, which is now half the length it was. It used to reach to my elbows, but now, its jagged edge just scrapes my shoulders.

I don't mind, really. It looks pretty cool. Towelling off, I wrap my towel around myself and head into my room.

Just as I unwrap the towel, the door bursts open and in strides Nine.

"Hey, Six -"

"Sh*t!" I yell, quickly rewrapping the towel around myself. I glare at his blushing face, saying pointedly, "haven't you heard of knocking?"

He's sheepish, "Yeah, well… Sorry."

We just stand there, looking at each other. His features are rapidly reddening, and I can feel my cheeks growing hot.

"Well, what is it?" I ask.

"Would you like to go out for lunch together?" He says it hurriedly, and it occurs to me that this is the first time he's not putting up his 'tough guy' act.

I feel a surge of affection for him, but I keep my features nonchalant, "Just the two of us? What about the others?"

He makes a face. "John's going out with Sarah, and Eight's going out with Marina. Sam and Ella want to rest at home."

I raise an eyebrow.

He continues, gushing, "So… Since we're the only ones left, I figure we should go out for lunch or something together."

I grin, "Are you asking me on a date?"

He shrugs, trying to act completely unflustered, "I guess so."

"And what if I say no?" I smirk.

"I know this really great pizza place. Their pizzas have _wicked_ amounts of cheese."

"Hhhhmmm," I say, pretending to muse over his suggestion, "I can hardly say no to pizza, can't I?"

"Let's go!" he whoops.

"Meet you at the elevator in five." I smile.

* * *

Marina POV:

We're walking in this GIANT shopping mall and I'm just ogling at all the fancy clothes shops and restaurants. We're holding hands, and his hand feels so warm and comforting around mine.

"Where would you like to dine, my fair maiden?" he smiles, faking a posh accent.

I laugh, and point at a random restaurant that we're walking past, "Subway."

"Subway it is, then. My treat."

We waltz into the restaurant, and come face to face with a bored looking employee behind the counter.

"May I help you?" he asks in a slow monotonous voice.

"Yeah, sure, bro. Can you tell me when the next train arrives?" Eight asks, keeping a completely straight face.

I chortle, but the employee looks as bored as ever. "I've heard that a million times. Now may I _please_ take your order?"

Eight looks like he's going to give a smart comeback line but I pull him away, gesturing to all the ingredients for our sandwich.

"Look at all this," I gasp, "Cucumbers, chicken, olives, tomatoes, salads, ham, cheese, apple slices, turkey shreds, foie gras, and I don't even know what that green thing is."

"Zucchini," says Eight, "It's like a courgette."

"A what?" I ask.

He rolls his eyes mockingly, grinning, "It's like a pickled cucumber."

I put my hands on my hips, "I knew that."

He just laughs. Turns out, we put practically every ingredient into our sandwich. Then comes the sauce.

"What! They have like ten different sauces? How are we supposed to choose?" I gasp.

"Y'know what, we should do something crazy." He grins.

"Sure, like what?" I ask.

"We should put every single sauce into our sandwich. Who knows? It could be pretty nice."

"Eww, no!" I say, "Imagine the taste of mustard with barbecue sauce, or with this sweet honey sauce or something, that's just GROSS!"

Turns out, he did take all the sauces. There was so much sauce, that his bread became all soggy.

I take a huge bite into my massive sandwich.

"This is delicious!" I cry, just as Eight chomps into his.

"Oh my gosh, you MUST try this!" he gasps, "this is SO GOOD. You have NO idea."

He takes another bite. I look at his saucy mess of a sandwich. "You know what? Hand it over." I say.

"Srsly?" he asks, his mouth stuffed with sandwich, as he hands over his soggy sandwich.

With that, I open my mouth as wide as it could go and take a huge bite out of his sandwich.

It tastes like a whole mix of flavours that I can't even describe, and it just has this super zingy taste. "Wow, you're right! This is AMAZING."

"See? Told you!" he laughs, "Anyway, you can have it. I'll take your sandwich."

I smile, "Thanks, Eight."

* * *

So a bit of Nix and Navrina in this chapter, hope you enjoyed!

As you can tell, I'm a serious Nix + Navrina nutter. No kidding. I will update soon, stay tuned. :)

Please review, you will make my day. SRSLY!


	8. Nix

Hey guys! Sorry, but I'm not going to describe any John and Sarah scenes. There's already too much of that in the original books. Instead, I'm focusing on Nix and Navrina. Hope you enjoy! :)

* * *

Six POV:

Turns out, the pizza place was so full that we ordered a takeaway. We're now sitting on a peeling brown bench by the lakeside, guzzling huge slices of triple-cheese peperoni pizza, while chatting about the craziest random stuff.

It's such an anti-climax. Just yesterday we were battling for our lives against Setrákus Ra, and today, we're just sitting on a bench watching people jog, and chatting like normal teenagers.

"You know what we should do after this?" says Nine, his mouth filled with greasy pizza.

"What?"

He swallows. "We should go roller-blading."

I raise an eyebrow. "Roller-blading, huh?"

"Yep," he says, lacing his greasy fingers behind his head and stretching lazily, "You've never Roller-skated before?"

I shake my head, "Never."

"Then let's go," he laughs, discarding our empty pizza box.

He starts jogging off, and suddenly, he cuts right in front of a startled jogger and screams while still jogging, "Hey, stop chasing me!", and he waves his arms about frantically.

The jogger just glares at him, cuts right back in front of him, and gives him the finger as she shoots past.

I catch up to Nine. "Wow," I laugh, "That, was a TOTAL fail."

He just elbows me, "It's not like you can do any better."

I just laugh, "Race you to wherever that roller-blading place is!"

"Game ON!" he cheers.

Actually, it was more of a competition of stamina than speed, as we couldn't run at our real speeds amongst all these people.

* * *

Marina POV:

I don't know what's come over me, but I'm completely hyper and I've gone utterly CRAZY. Maybe it's all those cups of coke I drank. To be precise, I've drunk four cups. Six "Extra Large" sized cups. And this is America, where everything is huge.

I'm giggling like crazy while hanging onto Eight's arm as we wander around the shopping mall. We've been into clothes shops where I've tried on all sorts of whacky outfits, we've tried a pretzel at "Aunty Annie's" and we've visited the Pet Shop with a miserable looking cat and two hamsters in it.

Suddenly, I see this _adorable_ baby. "Oh my gosh, Eight! Look at him, isn't he _cute_?"

I go right up to him, and wave at him. "Hello, you cutie!" I laugh.

Eight's eyes are glimmering. "You know what? We should do more crazy stuff."

"OK, let's say 'Hi cutie' to every baby we see."

And it turns out, in the end, we'd done a whole bunch of crazy stuff. We've saluted cleaners, said "hi" to every baby, Eight even slapped this lady's huge butt, while immediately acting like he didn't do it. She accused this other guy next to him instead. We've also done other things like push aside couples who are holding hands, as in, break through their entwined hands, while laughing like crazy.

Overall, it was an amazing time we spent together.

* * *

Six POV:

I've put on my roller-blades, and I stand up slowly, wobbling. Nine extends his arm, and I grip it. It is firm and muscular, sturdy.

"Let's go, baby." He grins, as he guides me into the rink.

I lean on him for a while, trying to get my balance right as I try to move.

After a minute, I let go of him. "I can do this."

I take about two big steps, and I fall straight down. He just laughs and skates toward me.

I grit my teeth, feeling humiliated. "I can get up by myself."

He just grins at me, "I bet you that you can't."

I'm determined to try, but however much I try, I just can't get up.

"Fine then," I laugh, taking his hand.

We go on for about fifteen minutes - Me holding on to his forearm, while trying to learn how to skate. He's giving me instructions and tips, and I absorb them quickly.

Soon, we're holding hands, skating around the rink together. I'm smiling like crazy as we go round and round. Somehow, my hand in his just seems so… right.

He is warm and feels so strong, like me. We look into each others' eyes. His dark eyes are dancing, and he's smiling too.

"Race you," he laughs.

I let go of his arm, and extend my legs, willing myself to go as fast as possible.

I'm laughing with exhilaration, and I see him right next to me, both our speeds matching.

Suddenly, he twists around, and grips both my hands. Electricity shoots through my body as the world spins round and round us.

The whole world is a blur around his face. I see his face, and his face only - His strong square jaw, his brilliant dark eyes, his firm chin. We're gazing intensely into each other's eyes, the world spinning round and round us.

Our eyes lock together, and I'm not sure if my heart has ever beaten this fast in my life.

I notice a thin scar on his chin, and for a fleeting moment, I wonder how he got it.

But more than anything, I want to feel his lips on mine. Simultaneously, we pull each other in close, and he says, "I love you, Six."

"I love you too." I whisper.

And just as the longing becomes unbearable, our lips meet in a blazing kiss. The warmth of his mouth sends a current through me, and I throw my arms around his neck.

We stay there, our lips locked around one another's. It's as though the world is revolving around our two beating hearts. Nothing else matters anymore. It's just me and Nine.

I feel a fierce passion and longing for him, and we kiss, over and over again. His arms are around my waist, and my arms are around his neck and shoulders.

We stay intertwined like that for what seemed like forever, and then we gently pull away.

My eyes are shining, and he gently pushes back a lose lock of hair from my face.

We just stare at each other, smiling like crazy. This is a perfect moment, a moment I want to live in forever.

"I'm sorry about your hair," he mouths.

I just smile even wider. Both our faces are red, both our hearts are racing, both of us are feeling the same fierce passion.

We are meant to be.

* * *

Personally, I think the kiss was a bit sudden and I just can't describe the moment perfectly! However, if you try to picture this scene, it might just about work. Sorry if I ruined the Nix moment :(

A review will be much appreciated! :)


	9. Complications

Hei guys! To all those who have been waiting, I'm so so so sorry for the late update! I will try to post more frequently from now on.

* * *

John POV:

The elevator slides open and we're back in Nine's cosy penthouse.

Eight and Sam are sitting on the floor in front of the huge 52-inch LED TV, engrossed in their X-box game. Behind them, on the long couch, is Nine, Six, Ella and Marina.

Ella and Marina are sitting together, glossing through a glitzy magazine, but what strikes me most is Nine and Six.

Six is practically cuddled next to Nine, resting her head on his chest. And Nine has his arm around her shoulders, hollering a stupid commentary about the X-box game.

Sarah gasps, "Wow, Six!"

Six glances at us, and her look is somehow… softer, less defined. I don't know what to do, so I just stand there. Six and Nine are now together?

I know I should be happy for her and for Nine, but the little bubble of jealousy that rises up my throat prevents me from saying or doing anything.

I don't know it, but my hand has tightened around Sarah's and my jaw is clenched.

Why am I feeling this way? I have Sarah already, and I love her more than life. But all that time I spent with Six… Is it possible to have two loves in your life?

No. That's impossible, Henri said we Loric fall in love only once. And my love is Sarah. It _has_ to be Sarah.

I shake my head inwardly. How am I even having these thoughts? Sarah and I are meant to be together. That's all I've ever dreamt of! But Six… Ever since she's entered my life, I seem to feel a rush of energy whenever I'm around her.

I just strain a smile, "Hi guys." And I head off to my room without a second glance back.

"Hey Johnny boy!" bellows Nine, "where you going off to, sulking away?"

I just ignore him. Nine's the last person I want to talk to right now. How could Six fall for a guy like _him_? What does she even _see_ in him?

I slam my room door shut, and I crash face-first into my bed. In frustration, I pound my pillow and give a strangled scream. Why is my love life so complicated?

Suddenly, the door opens and in comes Sarah. "John," she says, her voice terse. "What the hell, John?"

I avert my eyes from Sarah's. "I – No, nothing's up."

She gives me a pained look and says frostily, "It's Six, isn't it?"

"What?" I gasp. How did she guess? "Uhh, of course it's not Six!"

She glares at me. "What do you think I am? An idiot?"

"No," I begin weakly, "It's just…"

"Just WHAT?"

"Nothing! Believe me, it's nothing, Sarah."

She crosses the room rigidly and I sit up, staring fearfully at her.

"I thought you loved me, John." Her voice is filled with hurt.

"I do!" I protest, "I love you more than anything in the world, Sarah! Please believe me!" But even as I say it, I can sense that it rings hollow.

Her eyes fill with tears, and she turns away. In a strangled voice, she manages, "I'll leave you here to think about Six."

"What? Sarah!" But before I can do anything, she leaves the room, slamming the door in her wake.

Ohhh man…

* * *

Six POV:

What's up with John? Could it be my relationship with Nine? But as soon as I think of this, I dispel the idea. John loves Sarah. I'm just being foolish to think that John has any attraction for me.

I think back to that time when we first met, when we were on the run. I remember training with him, remember that small kiss we shared one fateful night. But all he could think of was Sarah. Sarah, Sarah, Sarah Hart!

He really ruined that night for us. Our "romance" was an absolute sham, and I am determined forget all about it. I was so stupid to get played by him. Never again will I fall for his love tricks.

I snuggle up closer against Nine, resting my head against his chest. I can feel his heartbeat. It's pounding fast, really fast. And I'm sure mine is too.

He pops open a bag of popcorn. "Mmmm," I say, "Caramel popcorn." I take a piece, and he takes a piece, just as Sam's character (in the game) rips off Eight's character's head.

A bloody "GAME OVER" fills the screen, "Boo-yah!" Nine yells, "Decapitation! Sam, you're so damn _sick_!"

Sam blushes a bit, "Well you guys can do all this in real life, so…" his voice trails off and he gives a small shrug.

"Huh, I _wish_ I can rip off Mog heads," groans Nine.

"I did before," I laugh taking another popcorn, "but with telekinesis."

"Nahh, that's still a bit lame," Eight says, "I want to do it with my bare hands."

Marina looks up from her magazine and makes a face. "Eight, I had _no idea_ that you had that in you."

Eight just grins, and Nine says, "Of course he has it in him. Marina, you have a right to be damn scared of your boyfriend."

Marina starts to say something, but suddenly, Ella, who's been pretty quiet gasps. "Guys, can you hear all those voices?"

I strain my ears. "What voices?"

She squeezes her eyes tightly shut and claps her hands over her ears. She moans, "So many voices…"

I quickly cross the room and sit next to her, resting a hand on her shoulder.

No matter how hard I strain my ears, I can't hear any "voices".

"Ssshhh, Ella, it's okay. Just tell me what you hear," soothes Marina.

Ella opens her eyes wide, panic-striken, "you mean you can't hear them?"

Her breathing increases and her eyes dart around the room frantically.

Nine and Eight are by her side as well. "Just calm down and try to listen to the voices. What are they saying?"

I rub her back gently, trying to get her to calm down, and she does, her rapid breathing slowing.

She's silent for a while, her eyes shut.

Suddenly, she gasps. "Oh my gosh!"

"What?" asks Nine, excited. We're all excited. What's going on?

"It's your voices!" she gasps, "it's your thoughts."

What? Ella can read our minds?

Her face is flushed now, with excitement and astonishment. "Like… Six, I know you're thinking that I can read minds now."

"Oh my gosh, Ella, your telepathy legacy just got an upgrade!" whoops Eight.

She's grinning too, but then her face falls. "I-I can't stop the voices."

"Just concentrate real hard to stop this new mind-muscle or something," says Nine. "Like my anti-gravity legacy, it's something my mind can just switch on and off."

Ella nods, and she smiles. "Yeah, it worked. It's like flexing a new muscle."

Marina reaches over and hugs her, laughing, "That's wonderful!"

I smile, "Congrads!", while Eight ruffles her hair affectionately.

Nine jokes, "You'd better not go listening in on our thoughts!"

Ella just laughs, and I punch his arm teasingly, "Only _you_ would do such things, Nine."

Sam grins, "We need to celebrate tonight."

I nod my head. "Totally."

* * *

Hope you enjoyed, and please don't kill me for making John and Sarah fight. Don't forget to review!


	10. Past

Hi! As promised, I've updated as soon as I could. I'd like to say thank you to all my readers for being so patient.

Also, thank you for all the lovely reviews I've received so far, mostly from wii98 :D. They've really made my day! :)

This is one of the last chapters of relationship building / character buildings. The action will begin in the next chapter, so if you're finding this a bit wishy-washy, don't worry, things will liven up!

* * *

Marina POV:

I'm holding a slim glass of champagne while sitting at the edge of the roof of the John Hancock building. It's already dark, with a brilliant full moon hanging just above us.

My legs dangle off the edge precariously, and strong gusts of wind whip through my hair, sending my loose night gown billowing.

Behind me, Eight and Nine are chatting and laughing together over what I'm sure are stupid jokes – the ones Eight and Nine just love to crack.

I look down, gazing at all the miniature cars whizzing by. They look like toys from this height, and it's dizzying seeing everything so tiny. Somehow, I feel isolated up here, safe. Nine's cêpan, Sandor, really found the best safe house, hiding in plain sight.

The door to the roof opens, and out steps Sarah, Ella and Six. "Hei Marina!" yells Six over the buffet of wind.

"Hi guys!" I yell back, as they make their way toward me, "Where's John and Sam?"

Suddenly, Sarah stops smiling, and there's a slight tension around her mouth. "You okay, Sarah?"

Six also looks a little uncomfortable. Only Ella seems unaffected. Sarah says stiffly, "We had a small… disagreement. But it's okay, we'll let him brood in his room. Sam's there with him."

I nod. No wonder John and Sarah barely spoke to each other during our celebratory dinner! I thought that was weird, but I didn't pay too much attention to it. But John and Sarah, the inseparable couple, quarrel? That's unheard of. However, I choose not to say anything.

"It's a great view from here," I gush, trying to change this awkward subject.

Ella peers over the edge. "Marina! That's so scary, how do you even sit at the edge like that?"

Sarah hoists herself onto the ledge, and sits there, her legs dangling, like mine. She grins at Six, "Come on, Six. You know you want to!"

Six seems to have been jarred out of some deep thoughts. "Huh?"

I pet the spot on the ledge next to me, "Come join us!"

She grins, and nimbly leaps onto the ledge, then sits like me. Ella rests her chin on the ledge, gazing at the dizzying streets of New York spread out before us.

I can tell she's concentrating. "I can hear what those people down there are thinking," she smiles, gesturing toward the tiny cars and dot-like pedestrians.

"That's so cool," I say, "Your telepathy legacy seriously had a major upgrade."

Nine and Eight are jogging over. "Heyy girls! You having fun?" says Eight.

"Yeah!" we yell back.

"Well," says Nine, "It's time for some REAL fun."

* * *

Six POV:

Before I know it, Nine's grabbed my hand, and I feel a small zap of electricity shoot up my arm, sending my spine tingling. "What are you doing?" I ask, as he lifts me to my feet.

He's grinning. "We're going for a little run."

And he pulls me over the ledge. I nearly scream as I try desperately to regain my footing on the ledge, but to no avail. I'm falling.

Wait… I'm not. I'm standing on the wall, Nine next to me. His anti-gravity legacy! "You shared your legacy with me?" I ask.

"Yep," he says, as we start walking along the wall. It's a little dizzying at first, and it feels WEIRD to be standing on a wall. Also, looking down, it feels as though I'm about to fall and I feel a bit nauseous. But I soon get used to it, and I start to enjoy myself.

We're enjoying a stroll along the walls of one of the tallest buildings in the world. How romantic. After a while, we stop, and we sit at the ledge. The others had already gone.

I'm sitting at the ledge, enjoying the warmth of Nine's body next to mine, as the endless buffets of wind whip around us.

Suddenly, I notice that Nine looks a little sad.

"Hey," I say gently, "are you okay?"

He smiles a little, but I can see the sadness in his dark eyes. "I used to sit up here everyday, before I was caught."

I feel a pang of sorrow for him. I know what it's like to be caught, to live in captivity in a Mogadorian cell.

He continues, "I was really stupid. I fell for this girl who was actually working for the Mogs, and I… I should have listened to what my Cêpan always told me – Not to be stupid."

I rub his shoulder soothingly. "Hey, what's in the past, stays in the past, ok? I did a pretty dumb thing too that got me landed in there."

We sit in silence for a while, thinking back to our days in captivity, and our life before it.

"I'm wondering," he says, "what was it like for you?"

I think back to those dark days in a pitch-black cell, all the ways the Mogadorians tried to kill me, the horrible food, the struggle to remain sane.

I say softly, "It was a living nightmare. First, they… they killed Katrina in front of me." My voice breaks when I say Katrina's name, but I'm determined to move on, not to cry.

I tell him about the cell I was stuck in, my struggle to remain sane, the endless games of shadow and physical exercise I did. I tell him about how the Mogs kept trying to kill me, and how I escaped in the end.

He's staring at me, wide-eyed. Then he tells me his story. Nine was betrayed by a human girl, and was put into a cell with a force-field around it, preventing his escape. He, too, struggled to remain sane. His voice breaks as he tells me about how they tortured his Cêpan, and what he had to do to end his suffering.

I feel tears prick my eyes. "I'm sorry about Sandor," I whisper.

He nods, and I see that his eyes are moist. "You and I are special," he says softly, "We're different from the other Garde. We've been through an experience that has made us who we are today. It's something we'll carry in our hearts for the rest of our lives."

I feel a tear sliding down my cheek, and I make no effort to fight them down. "Hold me," I whisper.

And he does. We're hugging each other, two warm bodies that will never part in the freezing wind. "We'll always be together," I whisper, "Promise me you won't go, Nine."

He whispers back, his face in my hair, "I'll never leave you. I promise. We'll go back to Lorien together, and we'll start a life together."

I half sob, half laugh. "Yes, we will."

And the steel returns to my eyes. "And this is why we will kill Sétrakus Ra. We will kill him for everything he's done to us, to our people."

"Yes. We _will_ kill him," says Nine.

But in my head, I correct him. It's not _us_ who will kill Setrákus Ra. It will be me. There's no other way I will be satisfied if I am not the one to do it. In my heart, I know that _I_ WILL be the one who kills him.

Little do I know that Nine is thinking the exact same thing.

* * *

Please review! And thank you for the continuous support. :)


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